Meet the team

Andrea Grisdale Chief Executive

Andrea Grisdale spent her formative years in England’s gorgeous Lake District, before embarking on a career in the travel industry in the 1990s. After traveling the four corners of the world as an overseas representative for a British tour operator, she ended up in Northern Italy as a guide and tour manager in the Dolomites and Lake Como. Just before the start of the new millennium, Andrea decided to strike out on her own and form IC Bellagio, a travel company providing Italian experiences for high-end travelers ranging from villa rentals and exclusive guided tours to luxury hotels and wedding & event planning. Since its founding, IC Bellagio has gone from strength to strength, winning coveted awards from such prestigious organizations as Conde Nast, Travel + Leisure, Virtuoso and Luxury Travel Advisors for several years running. Always conscious of giving something back, IC Bellagio offers student internships and work experience opportunities as well as supporting a wide range of social programs and charities. Andrea is a very vocal advocate of the travel industry, inspiring students at colleges and universities to follow in her footsteps with her many speaking engagements. She is also very conscious of the role inspiration plays for her staff as well, encouraging ICB staff to travel abroad and offering exciting career development opportunities. Andrea’s vision for IC Bellagio is to remain a small boutique destination specialist that is not only the best company to travel with, but the best company to work for, too.

Chiara Cermenati Front Desk & Guest Services Supervisor

Chiara Cermenati, a native of the hilltop village of Civenna above Bellagio, is our Guest Relations Assistant. Always quite a people-person, Chiara knew she wanted to work in the tourism trade from a very early age. She fell in love with travel during her semesters abroad in Spain, Germany and England during her language degree and started her career at a local front desk. Whether it was a lakeside hotel in the summer season or a hotel catering to businesspeople traveling during the winter, Chiara has used her work experience to hone her hospitality and customer service skills! In her free time, you can find Chiara reading, swimming or cuddling with her guinea pig Buffy. She is also always on the lookout for new places to enjoy Italian food and wine with her boyfriend and looks forward to sharing her insight on the local restaurant scene with Palazzo guests.

Arianna Sancassani Front Desk & Guest Services Supervisor

Arianna has been working for IC Bellagio since February 2016, most recently as Villa Coordinator. Bringing her travel expertise to the Palazzo in the role of Guest Relations Concierge, Arianna will now turn her attention to helping guests make the most of their stay. Nearby Bellagio is Arianna’s home, where she lives with her husband, her two kids and her pets in a beautiful, recently renovated house. When she is not busy assisting our guests, you’ll find Arianna in the kitchen whipping up a delicious and nutritious meal for her loved ones.

Giovanna Pezzatti Food and Beverage & Housekeeping Coordinator

Giovanna Pezzatti, a native of nearby Bellagio, is the heart and soul of the Palazzo’s housekeeping operations – our resident “Mamma”, if you will! Thanks to Giovanna, the Palazzo’s guestrooms and public areas are always spotless and the breakfast table is always teeming with beautifully presented delicacies. Her caring nature and can-do attitude help make the Palazzo a real home away from home for our guests. In her spare time, you can find Giovanna cooking up a feast for friends and family – like her world-famous gnocchi – or tending to the flowers in her gorgeous garden – which can often be found on display in the Palazzo.

Natalia Kusnir House keeper

Natalia Kusnir, originally from the Ukraine, is a valued member of our housekeeping department, acting as Giovanna’s right-hand woman and filling in for her on her day off. A lot has changed since Natalia arrived in Como town at the turn of the millennium. Her then infant son is now taller than she is and instead of taking care of children for a local family, Natalia has turned her detail-oriented attention to the Palazzo and our guests. And although Natalia was a pretty ambitious basketballer up until a few years ago, she prefers to ‘hit the floor’ with gentler forms of exercise these days like Pilates and yoga.

Jagath Chandana Butler

Jagath Chandana, originally from Sri Lanka, is the resident Butler at Palazzo del Vice Re. His infectious smile and passion for personalized service makes him a perfect fit for this demanding role. With his own living quarters on site, Jagath is available 24/7 to attend to our guests’ every need – big or small! He loves to wander through Lake Como’s picturesque towns when his busy schedule allows, and uses modern technology to keep up with friends and family back in Sri Lanka – including streaming any and every cricket match he can find!

Sudesh Munasingha Butler

A native of Sri Lanka, Sudesh started his career as a salesman for a multinational corporation. He decided to move to Italy in order to better provide for his growing family, even though that meant spending part of the year away from his wife and two sons. After working for a while as a caregiver for a local family, Sudesh knew it was time for a career change – he made the move to tourism and has never looked back! When he is not attending to our guests’ every need, Sudesh loves to play cricket and practice mindfulness through meditation. After all, as the Sri Lankan proverb says, “If you have planted a tree, you must water it too.”

THE PERTUSINI FAMILYOwners of the Palazzo

The Palazzo del Vice Re was the birthplace of Laura Martinelli, the current owners’ (Alessandro, Cristiano and Paolo) mother. Her family ran a traditional Locanda in the palace with a restaurant and a few guestrooms until the early 1960s. When her parents passed away, Laura inherited the property along with some other family members and eventually ended up becoming sole proprietor in the early 2000s. Alessandro’s older brother Cristiano, who was studying architecture at the time, made the palazzo and its restoration the subject of his final thesis. And today, after twelve years of painstaking restoration involving expert craftsman from across Northern Italy, the family heirloom shines in its former glory. Laura’s dreams of welcoming guests once again to the Palazzo and supporting her beloved native Lezzeno have finally come true.